Curios and relics. Furniture

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Curios and Relics

Furniture

Cradle

Excerpts from newspapers and other sources

Fronn the files of the
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection

Springfield, 111.
April 29,1937

Mr.L.A .Warren,
Port Wayne, Ind.

Dear Mr.¥/arren: Thank you so much for your let-
ter of April 27th. and copies of Lincoln Lore,
which I appreciate very much and will study care-
ly, as Abraham Lincoln must be studied. I am
glad, also, that you have placed my name on your
mailing list. Thank you.

Glancing over the copies of Lincoln Lore, the
first copy, I noticed the name of Margaret 0»Her-
ron, who has a copy of Lincoln* s Gettysburg address,
which she claims to be an original. I have taken
the trouble to tell you what I know about this
0»Eerron woman, whom I believe to be a big fraud;
that she has her nerve to continue to use the name
o-P Abraham Lincoln, when she was exposed in Wichita,
in the fall of 1927, I have no faith in whatever
she roiglit offer as a Lincoln relic.
Again I thank you.

Sincerely,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN ♦S CRADLE

The fall of 1927 there came to Wichita, Kansas, a woman who claimed
she had the cradle that was Abraham Lincoln* s, when he was a baby.
It was on exhibition at one of the hotels, and I was anxious to see
it. One afternoon I called to see it, and there met Margaret 0»Herron,
the owner of the cradle. She had it on exhibition in the office of
the hotel, together with a picture of Lincoln and a huge brass key that,
she claimed, was the key to the "cabin in which Lincoln was bornl"
It all sounded mighty fishy to me. In the first place, the cradle was
satin finished and had never rocked one so lowly born as Abraham Lin-
coln, who was destined to become the I6th president of the United
States, die a martyx»«s death and become the best beloved «f: any man in
history. Besides, whoever heard of a key that locked a cabin door?

This O'Herron woman was putting something over on the public, Never-
the-less, I paid $2 for a copy of the picture and made an effort to
get the history of the cradle, and this is what she gave me, together
with copies of telegrams and a clipping taken from the Springfield
Journal, giving the name of the photographer, who took the picture:

The year of 1927 was a year after the death of Robert Todd Lincoln,
from whom, she claimed, she received the cradle, which Uincoln left
to her father, his friend, having promised it to him( 0»Rerron) , when
they met in a little tovm in Illinois and they started an argument,
that ended in Lincoln willing 0«Herron the cradle in which he was
rocked when a baby(haven*t my notes at hand), B»Herron was dead and
the cradle was given to her mother, who premitted her to exhibit itj
and she was in Wichita to holp the Red Crocjs raise money for the tor-
nado suffers of St .Louis,

A newspaper of Wichita, the Beacon, didn't believe her story and

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made an investigation, proving her story to be false. The hotel had
given her a room free of charge; but when the Beacon exposed her,
they ashed her to vacate the room.

The day following our first meeting, she was at our house for din-
ner and gave me all the information she had concoted about the cradle
and old cabin ket?r. A few days later she came out one morning and
asked for a cup of tea. She stayed for lunch and stood for a snap-
shot.

Four years later, the summer of I93I, while living in Denver, the
Denver Post announced that there were relics of Abraham Lincoln, in
the office of the Post, and asked everybody to come and see them. Of
course I was one of the crowd; but I took with me proof that Margaret
0»Herron, ovmer of the relics, was not to l-e taken seriously. I saw
and bad a talk with the editor of the post, who gave me her address,
as I wanted to confront her, and asked me to call him up, after I had
called her up, which I did; but she wasn't at the address and I never
met her again.

Two years later I noticed in the Post that Margaret O'Eerron had
for sale an original copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech. Among my
Lincoln papers I have this clipping, together with other clippings
and material about this O'Herron woman's Lincoln relics. She was
then at her home in Illinois, where I addressed her, giving the name
of David DuvaKDuval being the name of my mother), as I was quite
certain she hadn't forgotten my name. She failed to answer xn^ letter.
Of course the Lincoln Gettysburg address was spurious. No doubt it
is, as you say(Lincoln Lore, Oct. 5, 1932), that the "copy of the O'Eer-
ron manuscript appears very much like the copies of the address dis-

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tributed freely by the thousands over a period of a great many years
by The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company."

This is interesting to me; for I have made a study of the "Lincoln
relics," obtaining photographs when possible, until I have collected
enough for a book. Nevertheless, I failed to get a copy of the Lincoln
N. L. I. company* s Gettysburg address, of which I have material enough
for a book, with copies of many of the addresses.

It is as W.H.Barton once said, that Lincoln material would never
give out, because he is an interesting subject to write about. During
the year of I95I I wrote a long article and offered it to many papers;
but I have only seen one copy, sent me by the editor of The Warrenton
tVirginia)Democrat, who i>ublished it. In a way I denounced Gen. C.A.
de SausBure, commander-in-chief of The United Confederate Veterans,
when he fefused an invitation to attend the celebration at Hodgenville,
Oct. I93I, de Saussure(a very old man, if living) declared that:

"Of all the characters before the world, Mr. Lincoln is easily among
those whom I would least wish my children, grandchildren an^ great-
grand c]^iildr en to follow or emulate."

His answer aroused my indignation; so that I wrote a long article,
which brought a caustic reply from a subscriber of the paper. This .
copy the editor also sent me. This copy I made no attempt to answer;
but it lead to much anti-Lincoln literture, shov/ing how, to this day,
the people of the South hate Abraham Lincoln. Yet I wasn»t surprised;
for I have toured the South a number of time, gathering magazine and

newspaper material, when I was called a "foreigner."

V.R.Griffith

Magr 7, 19.37

Mr. 7* H» @rimth

1404 'ii»tii falnat Surest
Sprii:^»Id, Illinois

My daar Mr. §slffith:

I csrtaimly s^prsciat© your letter of April 29
w&tcii reveals so clsarly'tlas fact that Margaret 0*Kerron
dscsiirsd. th® p^ifelic afeont nurioua Ltiicoln carios «ailcb.
Glalmed io hai?© had is bar poss®&sion.

I iisai^ily agre« with you ia all that you say aftd
will h® veiy glad indeed to file your it»ia on I,lnooln» s
cradl© with othsr iaforaeitioa we hav® gathei^d aboat thi»

?.-3ry truly yomrft.

Director

J

Fpringfield, 111.
May le, T937

Mr. L.A.V^arren,
Fort Wayne, Ind,

Dear Mr.V7arren« Regret that I failed to look up my notes
about M.O'Herron and the Lincoln cradle. A few days after
writing you I did, and I have a correction to make: The man
to whom Lincoln "Willed the cradle "was M.O»Herron»s grand-
father, Patrick Keggan, her mother* s father.
From the Springfield newspaper, Sept. 1927, I obtained the
name of the man who took the "cradle photograph— A .W .Kess -
berger, "the first man to photograph the original cradle
of liberty," studio at 419% E.Adams Street, who, I under-
stand, is dead. M.D4Eerron came to Springfield to give the
cradle "to the state. But first Miss 0»Herron wanted to
obtain a picture of the relic;" so she went to Kessberger,
who advised her to "display the cradle in the larger cities
of the TTnited States before it is placed on permanent ex-
hibit,? which she did, and was exposed in Wichita, Kan.,
when the Beacon investigated her story about being sent
there by the St. Louis Red Cross for the tomad5( 1927) suf-
fers, who denied her assertion, ect.

March, 1930, I wrote Kessberger and asked about the cradle.
His answer was that Margaret O'Herron was a "fake;" that
"she certainly had a good story and cleverly worked up.... I
am sorry if you bought the Cradle Photo for I am sertain
that the story she told is not true."

Also, I wrote "Mrs. L .Baley, " . . . . "old friends of the Lin-
colns, who lived at "Lincoln City, Ind." and had the cradle.
"She was to keep the relic until he(Robert Todd Lincoln)died
and then it (the cradle) was to go to Patrick Keegan." When
Robert Todd Lincoln died, "Mrs, Baley prepared to carry out
the promise^^ made several decades before." My letter to
"Mrs. L. Baley" cane back. Also have a copy of a letter
"Mrs. Baley" is supposed to have written to Mrs. 0»Herron,
notifying her that the cradle was in her(Mrs Baley' s )possess-
ion when she made an investigation and found that she was
"the orly one of the Patrick Keegan* s family living. I am
inc^uring the cradle and sending direct to you from my home
Pigeon Creek, Gentryville, Ind." The name v^as written Mrs.
L.Bailey." "Gentryville," as you know, became Lincoln City.

The clipping I have about the Gettysburg address( original
manuscript) is dated"Springf ield. 111., Aug. 6, 1932. It
claims "Mrs. Margaret 0«Herron of Streator announced the sale
ect... She said it was given her by Robert T.Lincoln, son of
the amancipator." So she came to Springfield a second time
to dispose of "Original" Lincoln relics I ^, . „

Also, have a copy of the radio announcement that Margaret
O'Herron sent over "Sears Roebuck Broadcasting Station,

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Springfield, 111., Sept, 22, 1927," telling how "Mrs .Anna
0»Herron, 117 liV. 0d, St. Streator, 111.," bame to possess
a Lincoln relic; that "These articles will be on exhibi-
tion in all the larger cities in the U.S., after which they
will be turned over to the State Park at Old Salem, near
Springfield, 111." Signed: "Mrs .L.Bailey. "

Regret I made the mistake in that Keegan was Margaret 0»Herron»s
grandfather, and not her father. Memory is often fickle, and
I seldCK rely upon just "memory."

Sincerely ^ iz^

Enclose find "Lines fo A Famous Mother," written ^number of
years ago and laid away to find them just in time for Mot her »s
Day.

May 13, 1937

Mr. V. E. Griffith
Springfield, Illinoit

Hjr dear Mr, (Jrifflth^

fbaxjk you laada for yotjy farther coratseote xjpon tli©
Margaret Q'Herroa claim,

Tha po«ma you sent with your letter X r^ad with interest,
especially inaaarach ae I «as at Mncola Oity <m ?lothar»s Bay and
gave an addr^at to some SCO Boy Scout« &ss»Eal)lod at liar gr&i».

tie will "b© glad indaed to file yoar l«tt®r with other
inforoation about tiMi O'Harroas, aad al»o your xxmn in our ■poetr?
fila,

Yotira very truly.

IAW:38 mrector

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